Official Zanzarah Website
Developer: Funatics Software
Publisher: XICAT Interactive
Reviewed by Insatia
on 3/15/03
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Discussion Forum
First
Impressions:
At
last! A gaming company has managed to create a successful game that
I, as an avid female gamer, am sincerely proud to say I play and
enjoy. And that game is the brilliant and gratifying Zanzarah.
You come into the world as the leading lady, Amy, an 18-year-old
girl from London devoid of any guns, tight clothing, or grossly
proportioned body parts. With this heroine you venture into the
mystical world of Zanzarah, a dwelling to goblins, elves, dwarves,
pixies and fairies where you are inclined to assist in restoring
peace to the lands.
Zanzarah is an RPG (Role Playing Game) and an FPS (First Person
Shooter) all rolled into one, including some puzzle solving here
and there. When thrown into action, you engage the enemy through
first person Pokémon-style combat with your fairies in the
astral place. Throughout the rest of the game, you are more involved
with the story-driven role-playing elements.
Graphics:
Graphically,
the world of Zanzarah is absolutely breathtaking. I've never played
a game with such detail and realism. The water splashes as you
run through, the plants sway as you walk past them and the fog
keeps you from viewing what could be a few more steps in front
of you. Footsteps remain imbedded in the crunchy snow as you walk
through or leave behind small clouds of dust when on a dirt trail.
NPC's (Non-Playing Characters) are completely aware of your movements
as they observe you walking by and are very lively. Some of the
more animated creatures I've encountered include a swamp goblin
fishing and a dwarf playing the flute at an inn.
Sound/Music:
Both
music and sound effects are phenomenal. You can hear birds chirping
in the distance, rushing and bubbling of waterfalls, footsteps
changing dependent upon the terrain you are exploring and plants
rustling when you step on or near them. The ambient acoustic sound
is soothing and creates a mood for each scene you enter.
Gameplay:
You
fight to accomplish peace by becoming versed in commanding fairies
to battle against other fairies that you encounter all over the
land. You are given the option to add a weakened fairy to your
collection by lowering them a few HP (hit points) away from death
then capturing them with what is know in the world of Zanzarah
as a Sphere.
There are 3 types of spheres Silver, Gold, and Crystal, which
allow you to catch different levels of fairies each with their
own special attributes. After you've caught and trained your fairy
you can add it into your deck and organize it amongst your most
powerful fairies to use to vanquish your enemies and become victorious
in duels.
Despite the large amount of fairies that can be collected you
are only capable of utilizing 5 at a time in your deck. However,
they can be switched with others that you have collected along
the way.
During the growth of your fairies you will be able to upgrade
their offensive and passive spells. These spells cost mana points
to cast and can be bought off of magic merchants. There are also
evolutionary levels for fairies where they will morph into an
even stronger fairy.
Runes can be acquired to transport you within seconds from town
to town or other locations in Zanzarah.
The world of Zanzarah contains loading zones. These zones become
your save points. You are able to save the game at any time during
out of combat game play but when you either die or re-load a saved
game you will appear at the last loading zone you entered.
If confusion were ever to arise as to where you should be headed
or what you should be doing you can count on an owl to help you
out. Owls are stationed in certain areas and can give you tips
and advice. You may also consult your map for directions to your
next key point by locating an exclamation point upon it or go
speak with Rafi. He's the first creature you meet before in Zanzarah
and can be quite helpful if you find yourself stumped on what
to do next. I've never found the story line difficult to follow
however, nor were the control keys hard to learn.
Enjoyment:
(See
Overall Impression)
Multiplayer:
2
- 10 players are allowed in two different types of multiplayer
games.
Death Match
This type allows you to use a saved game from single player mode
to employ 5 selected fairies from your collection into you deck.
Random
You fairies and an arena are assigned to you in a randomly generated
game.
Overall
Impression:
This
is truly a great game. It really does speak for itself. Download
the demo and give it a try.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
The
leading female role model is designed in a commendable fashion.
Zanzarah takes any misconstrued attention off of an overbearing
and unrealistic character's appearance by making the avatar a
normal looking 18-year-old girl which puts the attention on the
actual game play.
It's apparent that this game is targeting the female gaming population.
Although, I do believe a male gamer would get as much fun and
entertainment out of it given the chance. In the past, younger
women have been targeted with stereotypical games focusing on
makeup and fashion. It's refreshing to see a game like this on
the shelves today that allows for an alternative choice of entertainment
that is not focused on improving your image with liquid and powder
or obsessing over shoes.
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